State and local education agency websites routinely deploy third-party ad tracking technology. What purpose does it serve? Is it benign (and merely the cost of being on the web in 2017), or does it raise issues worthy of deeper investigation?

These days, fingerprint scanners and cameras are regular parts of school life—on the ceilings watching students walk, and on their laptops analyzing their facial expressions. While surveillance tools could yield benefits for safety, performance development and security, they also raise thorny security and privacy issues.